Television

Mad Men has long been one of my favorite shows, the interesting look into the life of a married advertising executive was a breath of fresh air. Watching Don and Betty navigate their personal issues, their differences, while leading two separate lives was intriguing. The characters for the first 5 seasons kept it fresh episode after episode and then season 6 happened. Don's new marriage I must say is a complete and utter bore, the new Mrs. Draper may have been interesting at first but soon that affair became another dull droning session and the character lacks depth completely. Honestly we need a massive shakeup and while the doctor drug episode was a hilarious experience it just can't make up for the growing pains and age the show is starting to display.

This season should have spent more time focusing on Rogers reality that he is no longer a young man and that perhaps his charm isn't as appealing as it once was. Afterall the man is now a grandfather and we've pretty much have seen him partake in every sort of depravity possible. Yet this season focuses on Rogers loneliness and his desire to grow closer to other. The merger introduced new characters into the equation but frankly beyond the mixing it into a possible affair with Peggy it just falls flat on its face. Pete beyond his encounter with his father in law at a house of ill repute really has just been experiencing a Napoleon complex all season long. The new happy go lucky accountant who might be gay is truly the only addition to this season that makes any sense.

Frankly Don makes for an interesting character when he is on the prowl, his affair with Arnie's wife was a visit to the old Don. It displayed Jon Hamm at his finest a lady killer and then it got weird. Don gets rejected is almost like Superman losing a fight, it's just not supposed to happen. Let's hope that next season brings us back to the show elements we grew to love because quite frankly season 6 was a sleep inducing one.

Antonio Banderas will star in “The 33,” based on the true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were rescued after being trapped for 69 days in 2010. Producer Mike Medavoy made the announcement Sunday at Cannes, where Good Universe is handling international sales. Production is scheduled to begin in the fall in Chile with Ed McGurn also producing. Martin Sheen and Rodrigo Santoro are on board as part of the ensemble. Patricia Riggen (“La Misma Luna”) was attached to direct last fall. The screenplay has been written by Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera. Story dramatizes the events surrounding the mine’s collapse and the international effort to rescue them, which culminated in the emotional retrieval of all 33 miners trapped half a mile beneath the surface. The rescue was watched by more 1 billion viewers worldwide. Banderas will play the role of Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic miner known as “Super Mario.”

The Doctor is returning. BBC announced Saturday on its official blog that Doctor Who will return for an eighth season just as the current run of episodes wrapped up ahead of the 50th anniversary special airing Nov. 23. The announcement also revealed that Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat is "already plotting a brand new run of adventures for the Doctor." Brian Minchin will join Moffat as executive producer. Matt Smith, who has played the Doctor since 2010, said in a recent interview that he will return for season eight. The 50th anniversary special will feature Smith, Jenna-Louise.

These days it's truly fun to enjoy ones favorite shows in full season marathons. Some shows we will recommend along with our top 5 favorite foods and snacks for the homestretch. These foods are recommend for 6 to 12 hour stretches of episode after episode awesomeness.

1. Local pizza shop $20 special:

Every local pizza shop has it's famous $20 special, the special usually consists of a large pizza, 2 liter soda and either buffalo wings or Mozarella sticks. You might get lucky and a free topping in the mix. This is a high carb set up that's sure to please the taste buds while giving you the energy to get through your series.

2. Edy's Ice Cream: Edy's is one of the tastiest and lowest caloried ice creams on the market. Compared to others you get an excellent treat rich with flavor and almost half the calories of any other brand. For a good experience try the Napolean. For something more complex try Mint Brownie or try Coffee for a jolt while you kick back during those deep episodes.

3. Doritos: Frito Lay's lineup of Doritos has expanded vastly over the past two years. From Chile Lemon to Nacho Picoso to totally jacked. Chomp away to your hearts content with this filler snack and enjoy the great variety.

4. Sara Lee Pound Cake: The refrigerated version is amazing and moist once taken out of the freezer. This pound cake melts in your mouth, combine it with some Edy's and you are all set to go.

Top recommended tv series for marathon watching:

1. Lost: Lost has six solid seasons of mystery and adventure for your enjoyment. Join the passengers of Flight 815 on it's critically acclaimed and award winning television series that has set and broken television viewing records with it's excellent plot. Mathew Fox and Terry O'Quinn lead the cast with brilliant acting that executes the reality and feel perfectly.

2. Justified: Handsome actory Timothy Olyphant stars as Marshal Raylan Givens a gunslinging officer of the law who is sent back home and face things he tried to leave in the past. Raylan in his lady killer down home charm best takes on Kentucky's finest criminals all while managing to play by his own rules. The emmy awarded series is currently in it's 4th season.

3. The West Wing: Martin Sheen leads this emmy winning cast through the position of President of the United States of America. Seven amazing seasons of experiencing the full fledge fight for democracy. Watch the experience of becoming President and as the seasons unfold the hardships of the position. Sheen is surrounded by an array of amazing talent who each lend their own chemistry becoming unique characters you want to follow as they each face their own loves and hate with their powerful positions.

Saturday Night Live veteran Seth Meyers has been announced as the new host of "NBC Late Night". Seth who has been highly regarded for his work with SNL as both an skit performer and writer. His connections to Jimmy Fallon didn't hurt his case either, in fact NBC honchos are hoping their chemistry helps enhance the lineup and take a commanding lead in the late night wars. Seth has also been a favorite of the executives for his award winning skits on SNL. Meyers, 39, most recently appeared in the film "New Years Eve" as 'Griffin'. Meyers was also set to star in "The Awesomes" which was currently filming when the new gig was announced, no word on what will happen with that series now that he'll have the duties of late night.

Well after a standoff between Bravo execs and the cast of "The Real Housewives of New York" it seems they've all come to terms. The cast unified and held off on signing their contracts with the network in hopes of getting a pay bump for this next season. The major issue was according to reports the show suffered it's worst ratings yet during this past season. It seems audiences have grown tired of the same catty behavior season after season. Perhaps its time for Bravo to consider a shelf life for these shows and a recasting may just be what the franchise needs. Very rare are there discussions about what Ramona did last night and what Countess Luann lied about, much like what happened with the Jersey Shore. Shock value only lasts so long with the same characters, you come to expect things out of people and then it all gets predicatable. Considering how many snobbish, uptight, high and mighty bored housewives there are in New York they should be able to have their pick. Who is to say we won't end up with another Jill and Ramona but from the West Village instead of the upper east side.

There have been rumors that Bravo is looking to transition into new castings to bring the episode costs down but there is a fear of the franchise collapsing in on itself as well. The fear stems from the miscues with several housewives casts in other states. Perhaps what Bravo needs is middle of america upper midddleclass housewives that set the tone for being "The Joneses". The highbrow antics have reached their glass ceiling perhaps its time to lower it some. Perhaps mixing new money housewives with old money housewives, that's sure to be a fire starter. Either way we can expect the New York femmes to stick around for at least another season, let's hope it's their last and one that will be memorable.

Veteran ABC News personality Barbara Walters is poised to retire in May 2014, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Walters, 84, is expected to make the announcement herself. She will say on at The View through next season, according to sources, to usher the show through an impending transition that will mark the exits of Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Her final year as a regular presence on ABC News and The View will be filled with tributes to more than half a century in broadcasting. News of Walters' retirement is not unexpected.

Leah Messer is a mommy times three! The Teen Mom 2 star welcomed a bouncing baby girl with her husband Jeremy Calvert on Monday, a source confirms to E! News. "Yes the time is near…Can't wait to meet you little Miss Calvert!" the happy mother tweeted Sunday night before giving birth. Teen Mom 2 season four premiere date announced Leah is already a mother to her three-year-old twin daughters, Aliannah Hope and Aleeah Grace, from her previous marriage to Corey Simms. The former couple divorced in 2011. This is Leah and Jeremy's first child together. The 20-year-old reality TV star and her hubby wed last spring. Congrats to the happy couple!

Discovery Channel is taking an inside look at the worlds of drug smuggling, animal trafficking and illegal weapons trading in a new series, Extreme Smuggling. Each hourlong episode -- shot partly from the point of view of the smugglers themselves -- uncovers the sophisticated methods and radical techniques used by criminals who are willing to take drastic measures in order to turn a profit.The first episode, debuting at 8 p.m. Monday, will reveal the inventive and surprising underworld of smuggling.

Michael Hirst, the writer behind The Tudors and the History Channel’s upcoming Vikings series, has signed on to pen the script to Alexander, a new limited series on the life of Macedonian commander Alexander the Great, which is being co-produced by Germany’s Zdf Enterprises, Beta Film and Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion. Gruppe 5 managing partner Uwe Kersken, who initiated the project, will work closely with Hirst on finalizing the concept and first scripts for the production, which the companies say will run 8 to 12 one-hour episodes. The plan is to have a three-season run for Alexander.

After being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last August - and apparently lying in interviews for more than a decade - Lance Armstrong has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs to win his multiple cycling championships, CBS News confirmed. Armstrong, 41, made the personal confession to Oprah Winfrey in an interview to air over two nights starting Thursday on her Own network, Winfrey announced Tuesday morning. Appearing on CBS This Morning in what was basically a tease for her interview, Winfrey called her sit-down with the disgraced athlete "the biggest interview I've ever done."

Over the past several years networks and studios have reworked the idea of asset management to the point where it's become an absolute nickel and dime business. Even cable companies executives have grown tired of the leveraging lesser popular wares at higher scales than they are worth solely because of one popular asset. It's almost like networks believe that one popular kid makes all his friends popular by default. When the fact remains that many of the major networks transmit live overfree air, government approved frequencies that anyone with half a brain would realize they are very very fortunate to be able to use, and early enough did so for absolutely no cost except the requirement of having two informational shows per day (the news). The cable giants pay the networks an insane amount of money monthly, an exact fee per subscriber whether you watch the channel or not, now imagine if HBO or Starz spun off a primetime lineup of original content. How many of you would really bother watching formulaic comedies that are barely digestable on fox, cbs, nbc, etc? I can tell you I wouldn't be one of them and therein lays the problem. Networks have leveraged themselves into corners that they will not be able to fight their way out of. Want cable giants to pay retransmission fees for what is offered freely? Good luck with that, it'll only last so long before they look to replace you by investing in others creating content without your limitations of pleasing advertisers and sponsors. PBS in many ways has laid a prototype of this new era, with the absolute success of shows like "Downton Abbey" you have imported goods brought in cheaply and not tainted by the go-to formula that networks have adapted. The ire of the public is something the networks have also invoked for almost a decade now, shows cancelled half way into a season that by other measures could be considered successes. This is one scenario in which NBC is both an example and protagonist, parks and recreation lacks a huge televised audience but has a huge online cult like following yet it hasn't been cancelled. Who knows perhaps someone at NBC has realized to not piss off when the sky rains gifts. Fox's executives have brought back countless shows after petitions and sales spiked after cancellations. The reality is setting in, you need the audience more than they need you. With Amazon, Netflix, and every other media giant creating content instead of just licensing we will have a war of the fittest soon enough, while yes basic broadcast is still a juggernaut I dare any executive to show me one show on any basic level that can even remotely touch Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Dexter which their network is making.

Deadwood was one of those HBO shows that never got it's proper due, perhaps due to lack of proper marking or perhaps because the show center around actual real life characters. I personally never watched an episode while it was on the air and it wasn't until recently that I discovered the show even existed. I may have casually seen an advertisement for it but never really put much stock into looking into it further, which again reverts back to my point of "maybe it was marketing'. One thing I can say now is that I am glad I found this show, I hunkered down for two days and watched it virtually non-stop. It's one of those shows whose pilot does it very little justic, but sit through a few episodes and you will be hooked.

The show centers around a small town Sheriff who decides he's done working for the law and decides to migrate towards indian lands to open a hardware store for gold prospectors. Sherrif Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and his partner Sol Stark head on out to Deadwood a camp set up by Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) a lothario pimp and bar owner who has his hands in every ounce of criminal dirt that moves through the camp. From the first hour of the show you see the law man and the criminal at odds, leading to the promise of drama between the two. Trust me on this you will not want to miss out on when it all comes to a boil. The greatest single greatest aspect of this show is its variety in characters and their personalities. It keeps the show fresh and light while keeping you immersed in the pilgrimage of a wide range of characters. The show addresses the history of Wild Bill Hitchcock, Calamity Jane, The black widow, amongst others. In many ways this story would've made for an amazing film, but three seasons of the show do it a great deal of justice. Just take a look at the trailer we posted above. The entire seasons of the show are available on HBO GO and HBO on demand.

Well to share my little post election secret in how I have managed to live my life again without refreshing newsites every 5 minutes has been to tune into "The west wing" and indulge in Martin Sheen's brilliance as POTUS. The show which while on the air went unwatched by me has become my post election drug, the show rich with characters and taking on very realistic topics of debate can be considered a masterpiece work which was well ahead of it's time. The best part about "The west wing" is that there are so many talented actors on this cast each with their own story that it does not become stale nor does it stick around for one story line to the point you just want to skip to the next episode. In weeks since the elections I have come to love this show very much in the way I fell in love with the wire because it is well written, well performed, and comes together in a formula that is very rare on network television. Not only do you go through the pains of being the Potus, the Chief Of Staff, but also the other many individuals that play a key role in a Presidents day to day operations. You see politics through a new set of eyes, you also see the thin line between man and leader any man in office has to play. Oh yeah there's also a re-election aspect to it which is absolutely gloriously laid out like a buffet line for the hungry masses.

Here in the office our staff is rejoicing, on twitter people are rejoicing, on facebook people are rejoicing and you should too. One of the most masterful shows on television has been picked up for a 4th season and there are talks that depending on the 3rd seasons ratings in the U.S. come January 2013, a fifth and sixth season may also be approved. PBS who brought the popular british show to american audiences has hit the jackpot with this show, it is one of the best performing shows in traditional network television history. Downton Abbey's popularity is one of the most diverse and wide ranging of all shows. It has the largest wide ranging age group demographic of any television show in the past ten or so years. Let's just hope they keep Lady Violet, Countess of Grantham around as long as possible as she is the most popular and talked about character on the show.

Chad Coleman best known for his ex-con gone good role on The Wire has been casted as the newest member of "The Walking Dead". Chad will be taking on the role of "Tyreese" whom the comic book readers are very familiar with and whom I can state brings Rick a level of stability he has needed in the most recent episodes. Tyreese who is wildly popular amongst comic book fans is set to help beef up the character base which has been decimated greatly by zombie attacks.Read more »

Here at Cinema Haven we have offered a unique service for the past 5 years, its a service that of course comes with limitations and tons of fighting with content creators. The fight usually centers around their belief that we and others steal their profits via showcasing their content for free, while completely ignoring the fact that these same episodes are available for free on their own websites. About a year ago I personally sat down with one network executive who vehemently stated our service alone cost them approximately $100,000 per month in losses, when asked to prove this he couldn't produce one ounce of facts to back his claim. I on the other hand pulled out statistics that backed up my claim that we in actuality generate them income they otherwise would never see. He didn't take too kindly to being shown up in this fashion, and quite frankly became rude after being proven wrong. Since this sit down the network he's associated with has locked their online programming to cable accounts meaning if you don't have a provider which pays them then you are out of luck. The fact remains that Cinema Haven was earning this network close to $250,000 a month in ad revenue. How? Their video players feature ads that kick in every x amount of minutes, since we don't tamper with the original players anytime you watch a movie or tv show on Cinema Haven they earn money. This has become a common issue with providers lately, with companies like Hulu and Time Warner dishing out additional dollars for exclusivity towards streaming it leaves our service with limited content to gather and showcase for you. Networks typically have a few shows per season that struggle, these shows often pick up most of their new viewers from services such as this. If you are bored at home and looking for something to watch wouldn't you be more likely to check out a new show if we have it? A perfect example of this would be "Community" which for NBC is a failure but via the internet has become a juggernaut. Who do you think helped create this audience? It certainly wasn't NBC, that credit goes to us, hulu, and others. The cost of advertising for a network is expensive, especially on the internet. Not only are we exposing your assets to a wider audience you may have never reached but in addition we aren't charging you for it. Not only are we increasing the visibility of your content but we are earning you money in the process. On a common estimate of how much additional revenue a show could generate per airing by simply offering it for free streaming is several times that of selling it at a dollar an episode. The fact remains each episode streamed should net a studio approximately 37 cents per half hour show, 74 cents per full hour show. At a dollar an episode the networks revenue is considerably less because they have to pay the cost of the relationship, the marketing, plus pay a percentage of sales to the distributor handling the pay to view service. Selling a million copies of an episode versus streaming 5 million views of an episode..well even our blind pug mascot can figure out that math. It's time the networks start expanding their advertising divisions to include a stable "lock in" advertising solution for brands so that these shows are guaranteed their revenue, we as service providers will get them the viewers. This alone would dramatically hurt piracy, and kill the purpose of downloading episodes from torrent sites effectively. 7 out of 10 of our users have pirated content at one point or another, 5 out of 10 feel they don't need to download anything now because well they can find most of their shows here or on other sites legally. That's half a drop from one service alone, not only that but this strategy has dramatically impacted the surge of piracy sites more so than any effort by the MPAA which spends hundreds of millions a year waging a war they cannot and will not win, ever. Take into account the money spent on marketing, paying off copyright agencies, and I can show you hundreds of millions of dollars wasted to achieve the same thing we can do for free. In return I will show you every single network crowing about record setting quarters to their investors. The reality is simple math wins, the choices are clear cut. Embrace the technology and use it to your advantage or lose the race to those who are choosing to create their own content completely removing you from the equation. In 5 years Netflix will compete with most networks for viewers, we've considered doing the same, Hulu and Amazon are both experimenting with this and so will dozens of others. Will there be networks or will there be us? The public will decide that and so far the public is starting to side with us.Read more »

Revolution has turned out to be quite a success for NBC, with it's viewership increasing week after week. Typically in post apocalyptic settings electricity is one of least important problems shows focus on, since typically these scenarios revolve around this futures cause as a virus, zombie flu outbreak, war. Rarely does one get to experience life through others without electricity of any sort. So we sat out to get the scoop on what our readers and fans of the show would miss the most.

Our staff:

"The internet, just the ability to go look something up instantly would be a royal pain to live without"-DeeDee (Marketing)

"Lights, have you ever tried reading by candle light? Not very efficient."-Lucy (Intern)

"Fast food, Starbucks, elevators, good old transportation, Pepsi, cell phones...I don't want to live in this world".-A.D. aka "The governor" (Founder/CEO)

"My Ipad...man life without my Ipad would be hellish..I would be hellish to everyone else"-Tudor

"Running water and proper toilets..have you ever had to drink well water? Disgusting".-Mike (Design team)

"Nothing..give me a bicycle, a non electronic air pump, a pack of patches and call me king Hyperion"-Tony (In house messenger)

We only got limited responses from our staff due to some being out due to Hurricane Sandy, we'll update this thread as responses come in. Now is your turn to speak up and share what you'd miss the most.Read more »

AMC which recently said goodbye to "The killing" may just be enticed to bring the show back but to stream provider Netflix. The show which suffered in the ratings fight didn't stand a chance of surviving the juggernaut lineup at AMC. Netflix which has been investing deeply into it's own original programming now plans to add the series to its growing number of resurrected shows. How much is Netflix willing to pony up? Time will tell but we can at least expect one full season of "The killing" with an option for additional seasons.Read more »

Re-elected Vice President Joe Biden will make a cameo appearance "Parks and Recreation", which will be available here at Cinema Haven the day after it airs. Amy Poehler's character once stated her idea of the perfect man would be "The smarts of George Clooney and the body of Joe Biden" will meet the VP in a sequence of engagement by her fiance Ben (Adam Scott) in which he sets up a meeting a the White House which leads to the Joe Biden encounter. The episode airs November 15th on NBC. Parks & Recreation will certainly benefit from the cameo as we all expect a spike in viewership on the episodes air date. The show is an online sensation as well, becoming the top show watched online by viewers across all 50 states.Read more »